International

The success of Japan Tobacco's Smoking Manners for Adults campaign is debatable, though the Tokyo Subway authority's series of monthly Subway Manners posters proves imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. For JT, however, everything must come to an end - much like lit cigarettes - so let's enjoy ads 61 through 73!

Worlds Collide with the introduction of Augmented Reality. Now the latest craze for smartphones, PCs, camera, GPS systems and even eye-wear, AR merges our virtual and real worlds. Its initiated by technology that takes your existing environment and provides an overlay of extra data and information about the things you are viewing. Now us mere mortals can have some of the superpowers we thought were exclusive to the Bionic Man and the Terminator!

Twihotels, the unique Twitter app that offers post-your-hotel-queries in a tweet format has expanded their hotel solutions for both hoteliers and hotel guests. Known as the first social networking hotel-finder, Twihotels is already enhancing their feature offerings after their recent debut launch in August.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you're likely familiar with the unusual phenomenon of inventive Chinese farmers.
For some reason, these rural inventors are grabbing more headlines than
most Chinese tech companies. Well, here's another distinguished farmer
to follow in that tradition.

This particular pear producer
isn't going to let any economic downturn get the best of his crop
sales. His baby buddha pears are selling like hotcakes, and he's doing
so well that he now hopes to take them overseas. Check the photos:

Something is afoot when people begin to distinguish something that is familiar as 'good.' Not inferring that everything that went before it was 'bad,' "The Good Web" looks at the Internet and Social Media with new eyes and places value on using the tools of the Digital Age to create a groundswell of activity to assist with worthwhile causes.

Not too long ago, Lexus let it slip that they were working on a hybrid
coupe, at the time called the LF-CT, which would likely be competing in
the same ring as the recently released BMW 1-Series. Now, they have
offered up some sketches of the soon-to-be-revealed concept and given
us its true name.

Since introducing the Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) system on the Prius,
Toyota has been promising to expand the technology to other platforms.
The first vehicle in the sights for the next generation HSD powerplant
is the upcoming Auris.

Social media is not a phenomenon exclusive to our current Digital Age. It has a long tradition and distinct parallels with events in the past that seem to run in 100 years cycles. Editorial cartoons, postcards and even the Industrial Revolution were all forebearers to how we communicate today through social media.

When you walk into your local coffee shop or café, at best, the only freebies you'll get are the chocolate toppings or other spices available at the station where you have to lid your own drink. Well, not anymore; at least, not if you live in Japan and plan on frequenting LCAFE.

Joining the likes of the Dalai Lama, Barack Obama, the Pope, and the five million pageviews of Dave Carroll's "United Breaks Guitars", Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has launched his own channel on YouTube to grab the attention of the youthful Digerati in his country.